By Meg Kinnard, Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has selected Nicole Shanahan, a California lawyer and philanthropist with no prior elected positions, to join him as his running mate in his independent presidential campaign, he announced on Tuesday.
An unconventional choice, Shanahan, who is 38, brings youth and significant wealth to Kennedy’s unlikely campaign but is not well-known beyond Silicon Valley.
Shanahan leads the Bia-Echo Foundation, a foundation she established to allocate funds to causes such as women’s reproductive science, criminal justice reform, and environmental issues. She is also a Stanford University fellow and previously served as the founder and chief executive of ClearAccessIP, a patent management firm that was sold in 2020.
Shanahan was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin from 2018 to 2023, and they have a young daughter. She was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Kennedy made his announcement.
On Tuesday, Shanahan discussed her difficult upbringing in Oakland, the daughter of a mother who immigrated from China and an Irish and German-American father who struggled with substance abuse and employment. Referring to her family’s reliance on government aid, Shanahan expressed that despite her later wealth, she could empathize with Americans who are “just one misfortune away from disaster.”
“The purpose of wealth is to help those in need. That’s what it’s for,” Shanahan said. “And I want to bring that back to politics, too. That is the purpose of privilege.”
Before the announcement, Kennedy’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, praised Shanahan’s work in support of “honest governance, racial equity, regenerative agriculture, and children’s and maternal health.” She stated that this work “addresses many of our country’s most urgent needs.”
Kennedy, who stated in an interview with “The State of California” on KCBS radio that his VP search focused on ”someone who could represent young people,” said on Tuesday that Shanahan — who, like him, has “left the Democratic Party” — also shares his concerns about government overreach and his lack of trust in major political parties' ability to create lasting change.
“She’ll tell you that she now understands at the defense agencies work for the military industrial complex, that health agencies work for big pharma and the USDA works for big ag and the processed food cartels,” Kennedy said at his Oakland rally. “The EPA is in cahoots with the polluters, that the scientists can be mercenaries, that government officials sometimes act as sensors, and that the Fed works for Wall Street and allows millionaire bankers to prey upon on Main Street and the American worker.”
Kennedy also mentioned that Shanahan’s background was a factor in his selection of her.
“I wanted someone who would respect the customs of our country, as a country of immigrants, but who also realizes that in order to be a nation, we must protect our borders,” he said.
Kennedy had previously shown interest in choosing a well-known person like NFL quarterback Aaron Rogers, “Dirty Jobs” star Mike Rowe, or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who was a wrestler and actor.
According to campaign finance records, Shanahan has consistently given money to Democratic candidates, including donating the maximum amount allowed to Kennedy when he was still seeking the Democratic nomination before switching to an independent candidacy. switching to an independent bid in October.
It was unclear if Shanahan would use her own money for the campaign, but she has already contributed financially to support Kennedy.
She was a major driving force and the primary financial supporter behind a Super Bowl ad created by a pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, to which she contributed $4 million. In response to criticism after the ad was released, the super PAC stated that its “concept, financing, and implementation came mainly” from Shanahan.
The super PAC can accept unrestricted funds but is legally prohibited from collaborating with Kennedy’s team.
But as a candidate for vice president, Shanahan can directly contribute unrestricted amounts to the campaign. This could potentially greatly aid Kennedy’s costly push to get on the ballot in all 50 states, an effort he has said will cost $15 million and require gathering over 1 million signatures.
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
Jonathan J. Cooper contributed from Oakland.
